Chapter Four The cave

We came to a sudden halt, but I couldn't move. I was practically frozen in place. My arms were like an iron cage around David's waist. But I had the feeling he wouldn't have much trouble peeling himself away from me.

"Hey, you alright there?" Paul laughed.

"Ugh" I groaned, looking up my eyes were half closed.

"Whoa, she looks like she's about to blow chunks." Dwayne warned.

I gently peeled my arms from around him and stood up, throwing a leg over I lost my footing and crashed to the ground. Laughter broke out all around me.

"Shut up, you guys ride like animals." I coughed. Footsteps neared me and I peeked one eye open to see Marko looking down at me.

"Here."

I grabbed his hand and without warning, he pulled me up fast, sending me flying into his chest. I shoved myself away from him and stumbled back.

"Where are we?" I asked grabbing my head.

"The point"

"Whatever that is." I mumbled.

"C'mon," Paul grumbled impatiently and grabbed my hand pulling me towards the entrance after David.

"Careful there," Paul warned as I stumbled.

"Watch yourself," Marko added as I tripped.

"You guys are a little late with your warnings." I growled.

Dwayne laughed and grabbed my waist, pulling me down to the ground where he was standing, but of course I stumbled.

"Smooth," David chuckled.

"Well, sorry if I'm a bit of a klutz!"

"Honey?" Star's voice called out in confusion, followed by her appearance.

"Hey Star," I smiled lightly, giving a wave.

"Whatcha doin here?" she asked.

I shrugged, "the boys saved my ass, thought I would like to come and check out their place, and I'd have to say its pretty sweet." I said awestruck as I looked around the large open room.

We were finally in the cave. Or what appeared to be a cave. Not totally sure what it is.

"Is this a cave?" I asked.

"It used to be a hotel." Paul piped up from by the fountain, smoking a joint.

"Really?"

"Yea, about eighty-five years ago." David began

"here he goes," Marko joked, nudging Dwayne who smiled.

David glared at Marko but started again, "about eighty-five years ago, this used to be a hotel, but too bad they built it on the fault. In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up, and this place took a header right into the crack. Now, its ours." he smiled.

"Hmm, that's pretty cool." I grinned. I looked over at Star and she winked at me.

"So, what's your story, little lady?" Paul grinned, blowing a stream a smoke through his lips.

"What do you mean, "my story"?" I asked.

"Your story, as in. Why you came to Santa Carla, why you were in such a bad mood previous to when we found you." Dwayne smirked, speaking to me as if I was mentally retarded or something.

"I'm here because of my mother." I stated.

"Why don't you elaborate, Honey." Star smiled at me.

"Okay, so technically I'm here 'cause of my father." I sighed, my eyes gliding across the room and its occupants.

"What's Daddy gotta do with this?" Paul mocked.

I glared at him, "Because "Daddy" is a scum bag. Mom caught him cheating on her with a stripper, in their own bed! So, she divorced him, landing us here. With grandpa." "Who likes to play dead." I added as an after thought.

"Something tells me, that's not all that's bothering you." Star probed.

I sat there, staring at a spot on the floor for a few minutes.

"Back in Phoenix, I was hard core. Well to most people I was, I'm not sure what you guys call "hard core"." I said, after a while.

"What did you do?" David asked, sucking on his cigarette.

"I drank, I smoked, I did drugs. I would come home early in the morning drunk or stoned. I talked back to the teachers, I sassed anyone who pissed me off, got into fights..." I ticked each one off on my fingers.

"You're worse than Paulie boy over here," Marko laughed.

I looked over at him and smirked, "I doubt it."

"Last year, my mother had a nervous breakdown, stress from the divorce was taking its tole on her," I sighed, "and my brothers constantly point the finger of blame at me."

"'cause its always my fault, if I wasn't so hard core, if I didn't go out looking for trouble, trying to get myself killed, mom would be alright. She'd be fine, she'd be happy." I glared at the floor.

Continuing on bitterly, "but what they don't realize is that, I'm the one who kept her in one piece. I did everything in my power to help her, I went out of my way to take some of the pain from her. They just don't fucking understand."

"I got into it with my mom and Michael this morning, mom thinks I was out drinking and having sex last night, Michael was giving me shit for being with you guys... but he seemed to calm down when I told him I was with you, Star." I smirked as I watched her blush heavily.

"Hmm, so you did drugs?" Paul asked.

I nodded.

"You want a joint?"

I looked at Paul flabbergasted.

"No thanks, I'm clean. But I'll take a ciggy butt," I smiled, looking towards David.

He pulled one out and showed it to me.

"I gotta get up, don't I?" I growled, he smirked at me. I grumbled as I got up and walked towards him, "you gotta light?" I asked, the cigarette dangling from my lips. He lit a match and I leaned forwards, watching him as he light it up. Taking the cigarette in between my two fingers, I gave him a toothy grin, "Thanks," as I sauntered back to the old beat up couch.

Plopping down, I inhaled the butt, and blew out a few smoke rings.

"You're alright kid," Paul laughed, shoving my head to the side. I looked at him and blew a stream of smoke in his direction.

"Hey Star?" I called out.

"Hmm?" she asked looking at me.

"I hear that you do ear piercing?"

"Yea, I do."

"You wanna pierce mine for me?"

"Sure." she grinned, coming over to me she moved my hair behind my ear to see what she could do, "but you already have your ears pierced, twice."

"I know, could you do a cartilage piercing?"

"Sure, which ear?"

"Right."

"Alrighty, be right back."

Star came back a few minutes later with a small box, and a stool.

"Sit your ass down, right here." She grinned at me, placing the stool in the middle, so all the boys could watch.

"You gonna pierce my ear in front of an audience?"

She smirked at me, "pick your stud, I gotta sterilize this pin."

I fished through the box and finally pick one out that caught my eye.

"Well that's a cool one, didn't even know I had it." she grinned and moved to stand beside me,

"okay so on the count of three I'm gonna shove it in."

I nodded.

"One."

I sat there.

"Two."

I continued to sit here.

"Three." and the needle was shoved through my cartilage, I heard the sickening crunch of it breaking and winced.

"Hmm, not a sound emitted. Impressive." Dwayne smiled.

"I've gone through worse than this."

I winced once more as she cleaned it, then popped the earring through.

"All done."

I grinned as I hopped off the stool and stretched.

"Holy shit! What's that?" Marko cried from the couch.

"What's what?" I asked, playing innocent.

"Was that a tattoo on your back?" he asked.

"Yea" I grinned.

"Can I see it?"

I looked at him funny, "um okay," I walked over and lifted um my shirt to show him the small of my back.

"Hmm, feminine, but very cool." he commented on the elaborately drawn butterfly.

"You are seriously, hard core." Paul complimented.

I grinned, "thanks."

"Would you like a drink? Honey," David asked.

I turned to look at him and caught sight of the glass bottle that was decorated with jewels.

"Um... no thanks, I prefer beer over wine. But thank you anyways." I said firmly. He nodded and didn't press the question. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Star visibly relax.

What was that about?